2017 End of Another Year

Hi there, it's the end of another year and once again we wonder where did the time go.  I've been busy with many things this past year.  Dad passed away in February, as executive there was a lot of work to do and there are still things that I have to do.  A friend of mine needed surgery so I visited with her and had a lovely time sewing.  I learnt how to make pillows so I've been making pillows for the craft fair.  Learnt how to make rag quilts, absolutely love them.  And when I figure out how to post pictures here from my iPad, I'll show you the projects.  Not much to say today but there could be lots more for next year.  Wish you a new year filled with love and laughter.

Definitely overdue in posting

I must apologize to you for not posting earlier. My Dad takes up a lot of my time and his memory is getting worse.  For those of you who have dealt with elderly parents or patients, you know the amount of patience needed when dealing with the same questions or comments over and over again.  but enough about my troubles, how are things with you?  I hope that you have had time for yourself  to enjoy the things that you like to do whether it's travelling, reading a book, getting together with friends or cross-stitching.  I've been doing a little bit, still having problems with the shoulder.  Here are some pics. Having problems posting the pictures, will try later when I have more patience.  Take care, and I will post more often, I promise.

August 2015

I had promised to write more and keep everyone up to date.  Well, I obviously didn't manage that and I do apologize.  Since my last posting, I did manage to get to Branson, Missouri for another wonderful retreat organized by Cecilia's Samplers.  My brother and his wife came down to Dad-sit while I was away.  Dad is doing remarkably well considering everything he went through in January.  As for myself, well..... I strained my right rotator cuff 3 months ago.  Since then I've been going for physiotherapy 3 times a week and are you ready for this I wasn't allowed to cross stitch! Trust me, I really haven't been in shape to do any stitching, I have been on anti-inflammatory medication as well as pain killers. To give you an example, I sneezed the other night...not a quiet little sneeze but a big full body sneeze, the type of sneeze where every single muscle in your body clenches before releasing!  I was in so much pain that an hour later I had to take something for the pain.  So in a nutshell between all the running around I do for Dad and this shoulder problem, I really haven't done anything.  So until the next time, I thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day.  Hugs, Louise

Rare Disease Day - February 28, 2015

Did you know that February 28 was rare disease day?  Well don't worry a lot of us didn't know either, in other words you weren't alone. Unfortunately there are a lot of rare diseases in this world.  My niece was interviewed by 2 local TV stations here in Ottawa to discuss the problems that she and Jaxon face every day.  I found out through these interviews that not only does Jaxon have a rare disease but his disease is considered ultra rare!  I will try to put a link to these 2 interviews on the side bar as well as here
http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.2253630 and https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=284945878295767&pnref=story  hopefully if you click on them you will be able to see the videos.
Hugs to all. Louise

I'm Back!!

Hi there, I bet you thought I was gone for ever....well, I have been busy taking care of my Dad.  He was hospitalized for a month (the majority of January) and once he was back home, my siblings and I made sure that someone was there for him 24/7 for the first 2 weeks.  Then my siblings left and it's now back to just me.  As a result of the problems that occurred for Dad to be hospitalized, he has now lost his drivers license so guess who gets to drive him to all his appointments.  And there were a lot of follow ups with all the specialists as well as his regular doctor and dentist and hearing aid specialist.  So please excuse me for not posting but I have been busy, honest I have.  As for stitching, I haven't been doing a lot of that lately, did a bit in the hospital while Dad was sleeping and a bit while he was at the dentist.  So I will be able to finish that one and have a picture to show you.  And today I started the Tribal Teapot, something totally new and its going to be just for me!!  I think I have maybe 50 stitches in it, so you will have to wait for the pictures.  lol.  Next week, I am off to Branson, Missouri to attend a stitching retreat organized by Cecilia's Samplers.  My brother and his wife are coming to Dad-sit while I am gone.  I can't wait...  So until the next time, thank you for your patience with me and for reading my blog, remember that you are loved.  Louise

To 2015 - hopefully a better year

Hi everyone, here we are in 2015, did you do anything exciting to help bring in the new year? I really had good intentions of posting more often in December but life as usual gets in the way.  For a good portion of November and December, I was busy taking Dad to his doctors appointments, taking him for bloodwork, etc and to make a long story short, he was finally admitted to the hospital on Dec 22.  He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF).  He was having trouble with his legs, he kept retaining fluid to the point where he was about 16-18 pounds over his normal body weight.  The doctors kept increasing his diuretic but he still kept gaining weight.  For those of you with elderly parents, please, please, please get involved with them when they go to see their doctors.  I never knew that my father also suffered from chronic kidney failure, if I had known that I would have done things a bit differently. The day he was admitted to the hospital, they did an ultrasound of his legs and found a blood clot, how long had this been there, we're not sure but the point I want to make to all of you is to get involved.  I was astonished at the answers that my Dad gave to the emergency room doctor, the admitting doctor and the cardiologist!  He kept saying No, I don't think so and I kept answering the questions with the necessary information that the doctors needed....so all this time that he went into the doctors office by himself, how many times did he say No when he really should have said Yes, maybe he would have been admitted to the hospital earlier.  We will never know but please, please, please for your new years resolution please get involved, you never know, I thought my Dad was still sharp but I should have realized when he started complaining that the easy crosswords were getting too difficult for him.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, I do plan on being better at posting in 2015 than I was in 2014.  And to end off on some good news, the total raised for the FOP for 2014 was $1000.  Yahoo.  Hugs and kisses, Louise

Two Weeks to Christmas

Oh my goodness, 2 weeks until Christmas....where has time gone....in my last post I was telling you about the purging and cleaning that I was doing to get ready for my company.  Well, they have been and now they are gone.  Looking back I have to laugh, I was so looking forward to Roberta coming to visit and now she is back home already. We had a wonderful time, laughing and giggling like a couple of school girls, I'm sure that my neighbours must have been wondering what was going on at my place.  We went out for breakfast or lunch, I took her to all the classy joints (lol)....the dollar store (she wanted to buy some containers that I have my Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid stored in) and also to a local store here, can't tell you what she bought (it's a Christmas present) and then we had a lovely time at a Christmas market in a town close by.  It was lovely wandering around all the tables looking at everything, the leather belts, the wooden cribbage boards (they were gorgeous!!), the spiced nuts, the crocheted/knitted items and of course, the wonderful baked goods!  All I will say on  that subject is that there was a serious case of sugar overload in my house that night as Roberta and I sampled all the goodies. And of course some more laughter, it seems when Roberta and I get together, the laughter just flows. My friend Barb joined us on Friday for some stitching and more laughter, all of us had tears running down our faces, oh if the walls could talk (thank goodness they can't!).  So she is back home with her family and friends, hopefully I will see her at the next stitching retreat, I say hopefully because of my Dad.  Some days it appears as if a good strong wind will blow him away and yet other days he acts as if he is 10-15 years younger.  This holiday season enjoy your family and friends, and remember that you are loved.  Hugs Louise

Life is back to normal

I normally live a quiet life, stitching, reading and going to cross-stitch retreats.  Lately I have been busy doing some major cleaning and purging of some stuff (okay, call it junk) trying to get my house cleaned up.  And of course getting things ready for the craft fair.  In the midst of all this, I received a call from my brother asking if I would like some company for a few days...I was kinda of hesitant because my friend Roberta is coming to visit but then he told me it would only be for a few days.  So I had some lovely company, my Dad got to see them and my brother and his wife got to visit the grandchildren a lot.  We all had a lovely time and now they are back home and my life is quiet once more.....well relatively....I'm still trying to purge and organize.  My neighbour who is quite handy built me some shelves that fit the plastic boxes that I have all my material in, so now my aida cloth is in one bin with another for the overdyed aida as well as a couple of other boxes for my evenweaves.  They look awesome, he did a lovely job and now I  have easy access to my fabrics.  Now I need another shelving unit for the smaller boxes, lol.  But I can wait for that one.  That's it for today. Hugs Louise.

A Very Successful Craft Fair

Hello, how are you today.  I am simply chuffed (as my British sister-in-law) would say, in other words...I am very, very happy.  We had a successful day at the craft fair, we raised .... drum roll please.... $800!!!! Wow,  I was hoping that maybe, if we were lucky, we would get $500 but we surpassed that.  When I say we, I mean Manon and myself, Manon is a wonderful lady that I had the pleasure of working with for many years and I am very fortunate that she wanted to keep in touch with me after I retired.  It was Manon who suggested that I get a table at the craft fair (at work) and we could raise some money for the FOP as well as raise awareness of this rare disease.  She loves to do some crafts and she made the cutest little bath mitts (shaped like a kitten, a whale and a snowman) this year and they were so successful that she took orders for several more.  I cannot thank her enough for her help and her support in helping me with these craft fairs.  To all the people who bought some goodies, thank you for supporting us.  Big hugs, Louise

November 1st - where has the time gone

I am definitely overdue in posting, my sister called me to ask if I was still alive....hmmmm, yup!  So what have I been doing over the past couple of months, to be honest - not a heck of a lot.  I visited my friends Roberta and Peggy in Massachusetts in August - the aim was to get a lot of quilting done.  Welllll, hmmmm, I took lots of fabric down there with me.... and of course I did bring my stitching with me and did I get a lot done? - that would be an emphatic no. (Big sigh)  However, I did enjoy the week spent visiting, we laughed and chuckled and laughed some more, I wish I lived closer than the 8 hour drive but hey that's life.  So what else has happened, I have been busy with my Dad - some days more than others.  I realize how fortunate I am to still have him here.  He will be celebrating his 90th birthday in January but there was times this past year when I wondered if he would even make it to his 90th birthday.  He has been so frail this past year and has started to develop some health problems and after much nagging (I do admit it, I was nagging him) he has finally started to use a cane or his walker when he goes out.  And that only started 2 months ago (I won't tell you how long I was after him to use a cane).  That said, I make sure that I talk to him every day just to make sure that he is doing okay.  I have to laugh because some of the conversations are very short (less than a minute), while others we talk and laugh for at least 5 minutes!! I am enjoying the time that I have with him because I know that he won't be around forever.  So if I might be so bold and suggest something to you, tell your loved ones that you love them because we never know how long we will live or how short our life may be.  On that note, love you dearly, take care of yourselves. Big hugs, Louise

Some pictures of the goodies from Barbara - Part 1

As promised, here are some pictures of the wonderful goodies that I received from Barbara.  I know when you see them, you will realize how generous this lady was to the cause.  I can only hope to do justice to her stitched pieces to get them ready for sale.  I also made myself a promise that I would name the designer of the stitched pieces as well as the makers of the fabric and floss.  I apologize to the various designers and manufacturers because I truly do not know who you are but I do thank you for allowing us to stitch your beautiful designs.  Now that I have said that, I think the Santas are Prairie School designs, if you know the other designers, please, please, please leave me a comment and let us know who they are.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  Remember that you are loved.  Louise

A wonderful surprise

Hi there, I know, I know, it's been a long time between posts.... I must apologize again but there really has not been a lot to write about.  My brother Robert and his girlfriend came down on Sunday for brunch and of course most important to visit my Dad. Had a lovely brunch at a local restaurant as we do every Sunday.  So what surprise did I get - to be very honest, I am blown away by this persons generosity!!  My friend Aury (designer AuryTM) had moved to Texas last year and she had joined a local stitching group. She was telling these ladies about me and my Stitching for Jaxon project and one lovely lady Barbara said she had a FEW things she could donate to the cause.  Well, I don't know about you but to me a few means one or two, okay maybe 10 (if we were talking about buttons and small things like that) but holy cow, I sure as heck wouldn't think it meant over 40!  When I was in Nashua, Aury sent me a picture of what was going to be in the box when she mailed it and there was 48 stitched pieces.  Well, that was in May, I received this box last Wednesday, and it was STUFFED and I do mean stuffed!  There has to be close to 100 pieces, some are small (bookmark size) and some are large as is 18x20...and yes, I will be posting some pictures soon. A huge, huge, huge, gigantic hug goes to Barbara.  Words cannot express my thanks.  Louise  

Happy Canada Day

Hi everyone, Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians.  Yes, I am proud to be Canadian and feel very fortunate for being able to say that.  Soon my American friends will be celebrating with their 4th of July festivities.  Do you have a national day that celebrates your country, if so, when is it?  Please leave me a comment and tell us about it.  Thank you ever so much for taking the time to do so.  I do realize that I have not written much in the past couple of months but I honestly haven't done a lot but that changed yesterday.  My friend Barb took a vacation day so that she could have a nice long weekend and came to my house yesterday for some stitching.  Both of us were very productive.  She finished the backstitching on 3 penguin ornaments and then promptly gave them to me so that I could make them into ornaments for the Christmas craft fair.  What a sweetie.  She is now working on her Mill Hill beaded kit Believe, she just has some of the background and a few beads probably another good 2 days work.  As for me, I finally finished that silly penguin ornament that I was working on (I felt like it would never get done!), so that was good.  And then, oh dear, decisions to make, what to work on next....ha ha, I can't find a thing to stitch.....hmmmm, I have a living room full of projects but being a conscientious person, I picked up my Opposites Attract (design by Tracy Horner) and continued to work on it.  So it is coming along quite nicely.  So since I am now wide awake (I can't believe it is 7 a.m.), I think I will go downstairs, make a cup of tea, have some breakfast and do some stitching!  Take care, have yourselves a wonderful day, I hope that it is a good day, filled with lots of love and hugs.  Louise

Definitely overdue to post

Hello dear friends, I am definitely overdue in posting!!  I really do apologize but there hasn't been a lot going on that was worth writing about.  Some days, I am very boring... honestly, some days I don't do a lot.  But I have been doing a lot of reading and thinking.  We recently had Fathers day here in Canada (not sure when everyone else celebrates it), Dad and I and our friend Angele went out for brunch like we normally do and then last Sunday, my brother Robert and his son, Patrick came down to join us for brunch.  Patrick is a full head taller than me, he has to bend down to give me a hug... now before you start thinking that I am vertically challenged (short) I am 5 feet 7 inches tall (honestly) so now you have an idea how tall Patrick is!!  It was great to see them again, I am very fortunate that they come down often to see Dad. I know that he appreciates it.  I love catching up with all the good gossip that I hear from them. Recently my cousins Dad passed away, I don't really remember much about him except his smile and his laughter and to be honest what a lovely memory to have of someone.  Well, I am off to make myself a cup of tea and to pick up some stitching  so that I have something to show you.  Until the next time, remember that you are loved.  Big hugs, Louise

Doing lots of Nothing

Hi there, ever have one of those days where you do absolutely Nothing!  well,  I have been doing that for the past 2 weeks!  I have been downloading a ton of free e-books on my ipad and just reading to my hearts content... I will be honest, some of them were excellent and others.... well, I am glad they were free. lol  Last Sunday, my sister and husband and kids (all adults) came to Ottawa to have brunch with Dad and I.  okay they were visiting folks in Montreal and they decided to include us in the visit.  (Montreal is about 2 hours drive from Ottawa.)  So I made sure that we invited some of the rest of the gang to join us for brunch - we ended up being 12 people, it was great to see everyone.  I don't know about your family but I know that I don't always get to see my cousins, growing up I would visit my aunts and uncles and if the kids were there, great, if not... maybe another time.  So it was fun time for us because I hadn't seen 2 of my nieces in a couple of years and my nieces and my nephew were trying to figure out when was the last time they had seen each other.  We had a great time but sadly it was over way too soon.  Well, it is about time to get some stitching done, maybe I will start one of the ones that I got in Nashua... Toodles for now, take care and remember that you are loved.  Big hugs from me to you.  Louise

Some pics of the goodies from Nashua

I don't know about you but time seems to pass very fast these days.  It seems like yesterday that I was still working and looking forward to retirement and now... well, it has been 2 years already... oops, its 3 years!!  I retired in 2011, oh my goodness, I must be having a lot of fun because I really don't see the days flying by.  So I promised you some pics of the goodies from Nashua, sorry to be so late in posting them, we had some very cloudy days which is not good for my picture taking.  Ah, enough with the excuses, without further adieu, here they are, enjoy.

 
   

 

 

Some wonderful new designers that I met in Nashua

Hello everyone, may I start out by saying Happy Mothers Day to all of the wonderful Moms out there.  Well as I mentioned in the previous post, I met some wonderful designers at the show.  Now some of them you might have heard of already, like Karen Kluba of Rosewood Manor or Jeannette Douglas of Jeannette Douglas Designs but I had never heard of Julie Norton of J.Designs.  What a lovely lady, she has gone through a lot in the past year but her smiling face was right there to greet you.  She taught a couple of courses on Hardanger... oh my, they were lovely pieces.  Before I go any further, I have to tell you that it was a difficult decision trying to decide what courses I wanted to take because some of them were a bit pricey (for me).  I really would have liked to take her hardanger courses, her designs were very pretty... but I did manage to spend a few pennies in her booth.  I will have to take pictures of all the different patterns/kits I bought from everyone and then you can all drool.... lol.... I also met Beth Seal of Summer House Stitche Works  (I had never heard of her or her company before), what a delightful lady with some beautiful designs and yes, you guessed it - I spent some money there as well.  Then during a round robin, (4 designers came in with kits for us), I met Maureen Sorenson of The Heart's Content - she does beautiful work on 40 count over one!!  hmmm, while I can admire the beauty of it, over one on 40 count fabric is not really for me. I also met Jackie du Plessis of It's Fine-ally Finished, she was so embarrassed because she had forgotten the fabric for our kit so she had to run out and buy some envelopes so that she could mail us the fabric.  I can certainly understand why she forgot, she was a very busy lady at this show.  Tracy Horner from Ink Circles was also part of the Round Robin and I must apologize to the other designer because I can't remember who it was.... I must be getting old (ha ha).  Well wonderful friends, I am going to sign off, go take some pictures (it is a gorgeous day here in Ottawa) and find out who that other designer was - it will bug me until I figure it out.  Until the next time, Hugs, big hugs from Louise

Back from the Celebration of Needlework in Nashua, New Hampshire

Hello wonderful people, I'm back..... I know, I know, I just got back from Branson and then took off to go to Nashua.  Well, to be honest, I did unpack part of the suitcase, did the laundry and then re-packed it!  I had a wonderful time there, it was great meeting some designers, meeting new people.  My friend Janice and I had wanted to go to the Needlework show but every time we checked it out, there was anything that interested me.  I didn't realize it but you don't have to take any classes (I thought you did) and you can just go and stitch and meet up with some friends or do as I did and make new friends.  I have to tell you this story, I was coming back from my room and as I stepped out of the elevator I saw a lady who was pushing an elderly lady in her walker.  I just stood there, kind of laughed to myself and saw my mother and I.  When Mom and I used to go shopping, she would use her walker to get around and when she got tired, she would sit on the seat and hold her feet off the ground and I would push her around.  So being the nosy person that I am, I had to go over and introduce myself and find out if they were mother and daughter.  Betty (the daughter) and her Mom were laughing when I told them that they were a familiar sight and the wave of love that I felt when I saw them was wonderful.  Betty, I apologize but I can't remember your Mom's name.  These ladies were great, every time I ran into them (not literally), we would share a smile and a laugh.  Betty was also in one of the courses with me so that was great.   So what courses did I take, well.... I had to take the course on the History of Perforated Paper by Claudia Dutcher of Dutch Treat Designs.  I had met Claudia on the stitching cruise I took a couple of years ago and she is one heck of a designer and teacher.  She had brought with her some of her pieces from her collection of perforated paper, it was fascinating, some of these pieces dated back to the 1840's!!  Simply stunning and before you go thinking perforated paper ... that's not stitching... you might want to do some research and check it out.   I also took a course on Colour Play with Tracy Horner of Ink Circles designs. That was so neat, this lady is an engineer and likes things symmetrical (so do I) and she was showing us how to use some really wild coloured floss, and the way to stitch the design so that it appears as if you are changing colours but you aren't.  If you ever get a chance to take a course with either one of these ladies, Claudia or Tracy, I highly recommend it.  Both were informative as well as making the classes fun and interesting.  Tomorrow I will tell you about the other designers that I met.  Until then, take care, and remember that you are loved.  Louise

Back from Branson, Missouri

Hello there wonderful readers, well as the title states - I am back from Branson, Missouri. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had such a wonderful time at Cecilia's Samplers retreat last year (and the year before) that I decided to go again this year. My friend Barb wanted to go back with me and her Mom, Marg, decided that she wanted to join us as well. Whoohoo, another road trip for Weezie and friends. I love to drive so the thought of driving for 2 1/2 days was not a problem. The drive there was uneventful, seeing some green along side of the highways was great, the closer to Branson, the more green grass there was. Now just to explain a bit more, when I left Ottawa, my front and back yards were covered in over 2 feet of snow so I got a bit excited to see green grass and thinking that maybe spring was finally here! lol For those of you who were just as fed up with winter as I was, you can really relate to this.  Here is a shot from last year and look, some green grass..... I know, I know, you must be thinking that I am crazy, getting all excited over some green grass but winter was really long this year!!    We actually went down a little earlier than the expected so we decided to take in a couple of shows.  I had wanted to see "SIX" and "Doug Gabriel" last year so I was determined to see at least one of them this year.  Fortunately for me, both Marg and Barb wanted to see them as well.  "SIX" is a group of 6 brothers who not only sing but do all the instruments with just their voices - what a fantastic show.  I will do another post just about the show and with pictures about them.  We also got to see Doug Gabriel,  I had met him 3 years ago when we went to one of the local breakfast places and also met him last year as well.  He was just a regular guy out talking to people and inviting them to see his show.  So this year, we go out for supper to a restaurant called RibCrib and guess who is there.... Doug Gabriel... so of course I just had to go and talk to him.  He came over and talked to us and gave us a coupon for 50% off the ticket price for all three of us - gotta love that.  (I will do another posting about his show as well as some pictures of him.)  Getting back to RibCrib, if you are in Branson please be sure to have a meal there, the ribs were absolutely wonderful, the baked beans (one of their sides) were yummy!! The portions were huge, so we all had leftovers the next day for lunch.  I will definitely be going back there next year.... ummm, yeah, you guessed it... I'm going back again next year.  And on that note, have a wonderful day and remember that you are loved.  Big hugs, Louise aka Weezie.

Toy Shop is finished

Hello wonderful friends, first another happy dance for me.... I finished my Toy Shop late last night and I am so pleased. It is another Mill Hill beaded kit and it is part of my Christmas village as well as being part of my 31 day challenge from last year. So whoohoo, another one to cross off of my list ... but if you are like me, you've added a couple more to the list. lol So what am I now going to work on, welllll.... I promised my girlfriend Barb that I would stitch a teapot for her as her birthday present (I am so cheap). I am using Bejewelled (Crescent Colours, I think) on a lovely overdyed evenweave entitled Mint - we picked these up last year when we were in Branson Missouri for the Cecilia's Samplers retreat. I enjoyed myself so much last year we are going again this year! Can't wait. I have to apologize for not having a picture of the Toy Shop for you but you are not going to believe this, I couldn't find my battery charger for my camera. I looked upstairs, downstairs and even in the kitchen!! I have been looking for it for a couple of weeks and the worst part was that I was absolutely positive that I had put it back in my craft room on top of the computer - and it wasn't there. Now I know that I have a messy house but I do have certain spots that I always keep certain items - camera and batter charger are two of them. So yesterday while at my computer, I turn around and see a black spot on the floor underneath my sewing chest - yup you guessed it - it was the charger! a big sigh of relief because I really didn't want to buy another one. So when I get a chance I will take lots of pictures of the finished challenges as well as the goodies I received in Sturbridge Massachusetts. So wonderful people, until the next time, remember you are loved. Hugs Louise